book series

Party and Society

By: Cedric de Leon

Political parties are central to democratic life, yet there is no standard definition to describe them or the role they occupy. "Voter-centered" theoretical approaches suggest that parties are the mere recipients of voter interests and loyalties. "Party-centered" approaches, by contrast, envision parties that polarize, democratize, or dominate society. In addition to offering isolated and competing notions of democratic politics, such approaches are also silent on the role of the state and are unable to account for organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the African National Congress, which exhibit characteristics of parties, states, and social movements simultaneously.

In this timely book, Cedric de Leon examines the ways in which social scientists and other observers have imagined the relationship between parties and society. He introduces and critiques the full range of approaches, using enlivening comparative examples from across the globe. Cutting through a vast body of research, de Leon offers a succinct and lively analysis that outlines the key thinking in the field, placing it in historical and contemporary context. The resulting book will appeal to students of sociology, political science, social psychology, and related fields.

Hardcover

Status

Available

Edition

First
Edition

ISBN

9780745653686

ISBN10

0745653685

Publication Dates ROW:

Nov 2013

Publication Dates US:

Dec 2013

Publication Dates Aus & NZ:

Nov 2013

Format

216 x 158 mm
8.50 x 6.20 in

Pages

208
pages

Paperback

Status

Available

Edition

First
Edition

ISBN

9780745653693

ISBN10

0745653693

Publication Dates ROW:

Nov 2013

Publication Dates US:

Dec 2013

Publication Dates Aus & NZ:

Nov 2013

Format

211 x 150 mm
8.30 x 5.90 in

Pages

208
pages

E-book

Status

Available

Edition

First
Edition

ISBN

9780745659848

ISBN10

0745659845

Publication Dates ROW:

Jan 2014

Publication Dates US:

Jan 2014

Publication Dates Aus & NZ:

Jan 2014

Format

229 x 152 mm
9.02 x 5.98 in

Pages

188
pages

* Exam copies only available to lecturers for whom the book may be suitable as a course text.Please note: Sales representation and distribution for Polity titles is provided by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

"This creative, well-organized, and well-written book is going to
make important contributions to not only the analysis of parties
but to the social sciences in general. Party & Society
blends in-depth coverage of the field, criticism, and original
argumentation. Students and experts fortunate enough to read this
book will get a fuller sense of party politics than they ever had
before."Cihan Tuðal, University of California, Berkeley
"Party & Society is a map and a brief. It offers a
much-needed guide to the plethora of classical and contemporary
perspectives on political parties in both sociology and political
science. But it also adds up to an important argument: if
sociologically minded students of parties wish to present a robust
alternative to 'voter-centered approaches' in accounting for the
observable complexities of political life, they would do well to
take seriously the idea that parties are by turns cause and
consequence of states and societies. This book should be required
reading for all political sociologists."Anthony S. Chen, Northwestern University